As a current senior, I feel that it is only appropriate to reflect on my college application process. I hope that the following advice can help make at least one person’s application process a little easier. This is everything I wish somebody had told me before I began applying to colleges.
1. Everyone’s experience is not the same
The key thing to remember during this process is that not everyone’s experience is the same when applying to college. Some people apply to 5 colleges, some people apply to 10, some will apply to 20+, some will apply to one and commit as soon as they are accepted, and some people won’t go to college at all. Some people will stay in state and others will go out of state. Some people will have to write 10 essays while others will write none. Everyone faces different challenges and everyone has different successes. Never try to compare your college application experience to others because you are going to continuously ask yourself if you’re doing the right thing or making the right decisions. Everyone has a different idea of what their future should look like, and some people have no idea at all what they may want, and both of those circumstances are entirely OKAY!
2. College applications are not the only responsibility you will have
Believe it or not, school actually continues in senior year. You will still have homework, and tests, and assignments, and projects, and speeches, and everything else a teacher could possibly assign. Odds are, you will also probably have other responsibilities on top of your school work, like a job, a sport, a club, and so on. Most importantly, your social life! Unfortunately, you will be expected to maintain all of your responsibilities while also completing college applications. The most important skill to have, or at least to work on, is time management. You have to be able to learn how to balance this type of scheduale. It is going to be stressful, but if you handle your time appropriately, you will make it through. I would advise making sure your standardized tests are done by the beginning of your senior year, and to even start looking over your colleges’ requirements over the summer so that you have an expectation of what needs to be completed. Most importantly, don’t forget to balance your time. College application time is stressful, understandably, but you must learn to equally balance your time, too. Make sure to still maintain activity and attend social events to release your mind from the stress. Read a book, take a walk, play a video game, do anything to keep yourself sane.
3. The work never ends…like ever.
The college application process is like starting a fire that never goes out. There will inevitably be more that you have to do, always. Prepare yourself for the long road because as soon as you think you’re done with your application, you’re not. Almost every application platform, especially the common app, has tab after tab of questions you will never realize have been waiting for you the whole time. Once you get through all of those questions, there’s probably more questions. Somewhere. They are everywhere. Some of them are super simple, like family history or academics, while others are essays or short answer prompts. Some schools will hit you with an SRAR(self-reported academic record) requirement, even though you’ve already submitted your entire transcript. Oh yeah, you’ll probably need a letter of recommendation, too. I’d start thinking about that during the summer before senior year, though. Regardless, it takes a while, especially if you plan on applying to more than one school. Then, once you finally submit your application, after paying an absurd application fee, just prepare yourself. You will get never ending emails. One of those emails will be asking you to create your portal account to your school to view your application status. The college will probably ask you to confirm it as well. You’ll have to do this for every school you apply to, so I would suggest getting yourself a username and password book strictly for your college information. Once you log into your portal, you’ll most likely end up seeing that your missing some of the materials your college wants from you. Most likely, it is something like an SRAR, a transcript, a letter of recommendation, a test score, a honors program application, and other things. So, yeah. That’s only really the application part itself. Once you decide to commit to a college, that a whole new world, but let’s not overwhelm you with that too. All I can say about this part is to buckle in, baby. You’re in for it.
4. Start asking yourself what will make YOU happy.
College application season is like a never ending interrogation. It’s the season of unwanted opinions. For some reason, everyone will start telling you what they think or what they believe you should do, as if you’ve asked. Don’t listen to them. Remember what I said? Everyone’s college application process is different. Well, everyone who is giving you their opinion is also different. Of course your parent or family members are going to want you to stay in state because they want you to be close to them and of course your best friend is going to want to drag you to the same college they’re going to, but their wants and desires do not matter. This is your decision, and it’s a big one. You need to ask yourself what is going to make YOU happy or what is going to benefit YOU the most. Will you better succeed by staying close to home and feeling comfortable or will you succeed by taking a risk and choosing a future across the country? Are you okay with knowing the distance of your significant other may impact your decision? Are you willing to pay a large cost for your education or are you scared of that financial burden weighing on your chest for the rest of your life? These are the types of questions you need to ask yourself, and you cannot rely on others opinions for the answers. Opinions are derived from wants and beliefs, and so everyone else’s so called “advice” is based off of what they want, not what you want. Don’t forget that.
5. It’s okay to not know exactly what to do
So many students get caught up in the process of applying to colleges and forget about the fact that they are actually going to have to make a decision when the time comes. It’s startling, and stressful, and exciting, and hectic. And it is OKAY to not know exactly what you want to do. Whether that be deciding where you want to go or what you want to study, it is a big decision you are making, and believe it or not, you’re decision is probably going to change. Did you know that around 80% of people change their major at least once during their college career? Point is, do not feel like you are the only person who doesn’t know what they want to do. It does not mean you are a mess, or that you’re unorganized or immature. Honestly, asking a fresh 18 year old what they want to do for the rest of their lives is an unreasonable question, so do not feel like you are dumb for not having the answer.
As I am writing this, I am still a senior who has not decided her future plans yet. As someone who as always tried to control every aspect of her life, this is the piece of advice I am trying to allow myself to listen to: Everything happens for a reason and everyone ends up somewhere for a reason. You can not control the inevitable. You can not see the future. Do not make a decision based on what you think may happen, but what you want to happen. Life is like riding a boat on a stormy sea. You may be able to stear the wheel one way, but the waves are going to take you where they want to take you. It’s up to you to decide what your going to do at your end destination.
